MCAN to Host Fourth Annual Conference on College Access

Conference will examine the word “college”

April 7, 2014 – Lansing, MI – The Michigan College Access Network will bring more than 400 college access professionals together on Monday, April 14 to examine the word “college” and redefine its commonly help perception for the collective messaging of the college access movement in Michigan.

The conference theme, College is…, will focus on messaging the college access movement in Michigan. The time has come for a paradigm shift in the work of college access professionals. Attendees will participate in workshops related to one of four tracks: College is Postsecondary Education, College is a Necessity, College is for Everyone, and College is a Public Good.

In addition to various workshops, the conference will feature State Superintendent Mike Flanagan and J.B. Schramm of College Success Initiative at New Profit. The opening session and the luncheon keynote will both address how Local College Access Networks can be drivers of change in the messaging of our collective work. The goal is to ensure all students are provided the necessary support to access and succeed in college.

Press: The conference is open to the media. We ask that you please RSVP to Lisa King atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or 517.316.1713. If you are unable to RSVP, please check in at event registration.

Opening Session: 9:00- 10:15 amState Superintendent Michael Flanagan with welcome attendees and address how we can be drivers in change in the messaging of “college”. A stalwart of education leadership and reform in Michigan, Flanagan pushes local, state and federal policy to re-imagine instruction for all students. Flanagan has directed the Michigan Department of Education since May 2005 and chairs the State Board of Education.

Luncheon Keynote: 11:45 am – 1:00 pm J.B. Schramm currently co-chairs the College Success Initiative at New Profit, a venture philanthropy and social innovation organization that provides funding and strategic support to help the most promising social enterprises achieve scale. He will discuss his recent paper “College for All” as we continue our conversation to define the word “college.” Forbes named Schramm to its 2012 Impact 30 list of top global social entrepreneurs for his work founding and leading College Summit, the organization President Obama saluted with a portion of his Nobel Peace Prize award in 2009.

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About Michigan College Access NetworkAs the leader in the state’s college access movement, MCAN’s mission is to increase college readiness, participation and completion rates in Michigan, particularly among low-income students, first-generation college-going students and students of color. For more information, visitwww.micollegeaccess.org. You can also find MCAN on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/micollegeaccess.